Dr. Hunter Phillips Goodman, executive director of development at the University of Central Arkansas, has been selected to be a member of the inaugural class of Presidential Leadership Scholars, a unique leadership development initiative that draws upon the resources of the U.S. presidential centers of Lyndon B. Johnson, George H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush. These presidential centers have partnered to bring together a select group of leaders who have the desire and capacity to take their leadership strengths to a higher level in order to help their communities and our country.
Sixty scholars from a variety of sectors–private, public, nonprofit, military, and academia–were invited to participate in this year’s cohort, which began a 6-month, executive education series at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, in late February. During the program, scholars will travel to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key administration officials, and leading academics to learn and put into practice varying approaches to leadership, develop a network of peers, and exchange ideas with mentors and others who can help them make an impact in their communities.
The program is non-degree bearing, and entails approximately 100 hours of informative sessions and case studies, and covers expansive approaches to leadership theory, drawing upon examples from recent presidents. The curriculum draws from presidential center archives and resources related to leadership moments from each administration. It includes insights from how each president addressed pressing challenges and benefits from the participation of President George W. Bush and President William J. Clinton. It also relies upon in-depth analyses of how leaders across all sectors address similar types of challenges.
Goodman currently serves as the UCA Division of Advancement’s executive director of development and is a graduate of UCA’s Interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership. She is also a graduate of Leadership Arkansas, and she is an alumna of the Bonner Scholars Program sponsored by the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation. She earned a Master of Education from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and a Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. She is also a graduate of the Bayside Academy in Daphne, Ala.
“We have a wonderful opportunity to learn from presidential leaders as people who have made decisions in times of greatest challenge,” Goodman said. “From studying the leadership decisions and human experience of the four presidents to understanding my own leadership impact for the civic good in a deeper way, I am proud to be a part of the inaugural class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program for its unique blend of components.”